page31 (1/2)

“What do you want to know?”

“How did you get the”

“My curious kitten,” he drawled

“I aot your first, or did you get them all done at once?”

“My sleeve? That’s coet some new ink every year, usually on or around my birthday”

“When is your birthday?”

“End of this month”

She sat up straighter “We’ll have to celebrate!”

He laughed and shook his head “Not necessary”

“Oh, but it is I love birthdays Letfor you…please?”

“We’ll see”

“Bad answer You’re supposed to say yes, and mean it”

He gave her an aot hteen It was the bird here” He tapped the design she’d been looking at

And she’d been right It was a wing Jet leaned towards hi the beak, the eye, the tight wing She looked up at him “Like your raven story”

He nodded

“But I thought your raven became a swan?” she asked

“That’s here” He turned his ar to show her the inside of his wrist A swan had been worked into other swirls and shapes, ns

She turned his ar feather “Is this an eagle feather?”

“Could be It’s also a quill”

“Because you write” She continued to trace the birds and feather and black ink that turned into a burst of orange “What is this one, though? I can’t tell Your sleeve is in the way”

“It’s a flalow of fire”

“What does it mean?”

“It’s to reer burn The sun can burn Fire burns But it’s destructive if I do”

“Why tattoos?”

“They tell a story They are, I suppose, the story of me”

His words round her back teeth together to hide the fact that he h, and yet his need to be tough made her feel protective

He caught her expression “You don’t need to be sad Not for ood I promise”

“But these past few months in Marietta haven’t been easy for you The book’s been a struggle, too, hasn’t it?”

He didn’t iain, I wouldn’t”

That surprised her and she wanted to ask more but it didn’t seem like the best time, not with the exit for Butte on top of the to stay

“You can trustfor her phone to have onethey’d maybe just have to stay at a chain place rather than the interesting place her heart desired

“I believe that,” he answered

“Good,” she said fir with me, I won’t blab to Harley…or to anyone I have your back”

“I know”

And from his tone, she knew he meant it, too

Maybe they were finally getting somewhere